November 22, 2014 – NCAA Division III National Championships The Ephs ran valiantly against tough competition and through very muddy conditions at Mason, OH to cap a glorious season.

The men’s team was led by the dynamic duo of Colin Cotton, 2nd, in an all-time best Williams time of 23:51 and Bijan Mazaheri, 15th, in 24:23 to gain All-American honors.  Daniel Siegel demonstrated a flying finish to run the best race of his career to place 70th.  Cole Townsend, 93rd and Todd Ford, 99th, rounded out the scoring to contribute to the team finishing 6th overall with a score of 214 points.

Paced by the freshmen triumvirate of Anna Harleen, 38th in 22:28, Emily Sundquist, 47th in 22:42, and Victoria Kingham, 58th in 22:52, along with steady racers, Lacey Serletti, 87th, and Hannah Cole, 131st, the women gave their best to finish 8th with 267 points.  They all will be returning for next year’s cross country season, along with others waiting in the wings.  But first, on to track!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 15 – NCAA DIII New England Regional Championships Williams successfully hosted the Regional Championships with 57 women’s teams (387 runners) and 54 men’s teams (373 runners).  Feeding of the energy of their teammates and home fans, in addition to running on their familiar course, both the men’s and women’s teams ran solid races to advance to the NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships.

In the men’s race, Colin Cotton just missed the course record, cruising in with a winning time of 25:10.  Bijan Mazaheri stayed relaxed and smiled his way to a third place finish in 25:30.  Aldis Inde (22nd) led Daniel Siegel (27th) and Ben Decker (32nd) to a team score of 85 and a fourth place finish.

The women demonstrated their power-pack running, qualifying for Nationals with a score of 95 points and a third place finish.  Emma Zehner burst from the pack mid-race to stride to a 7th place finish in 22:00.  Victoria Kingham (19th), Hannah Cole (21st), Lacey Serletti (23rd), Emily Sundquist (25th) and Anna Harleen (27th) all finished within 11 seconds of each other to land in the top thirty for another great run by the Purple Cows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 8 – ECAC Championships On a sunny, warm afternoon, the women’s and men’s teams brought home two team championship trophies.  The depth of the teams were displayed as the “second seven” squads (which had a number of runners that had been have been top 7 or even top 5 runners for the Ephs during the season) ran at the front of large ECAC fields – 48 teams and 338 athletes for the women, and 43 teams and 303 athletes for the men.

In the women’s race, all 7 of the Ephs crossed the line in the top 20.  Emily Delacruz-Gunderson outkicked second place by less than a second to win dramatically in 22:15.  Anna Spiers finished a close 5th in 22:20.  Michelle Buncke (11th), Meg Ricardson (14th), Eirann Cohen (17th), Maggie Peard (18th) and Amelia Ortiz (20th) were only 21 seconds apart.

The men’s team won with similar outstanding front runners and a strong top seven.  Todd Ford challenged for the win and finished in third (25:49).  Noah Williams was three seconds behind in 5th.  Andrew Beaudoin (11th), Griffin Colaizzi (12th), Liam Simpson (26th), Nigel Bates (37) and Matt Tarduno (55th) ran tough races to contribute to the win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 5 – Doc Seeley Championship In the first race on the new outdoor track, several Ephs ran personal bests and track records.  In the men’s 3200, Michael Byrns broke the tape in 10:10 with Jay Habib and Alex Cowen coming next in a photo finish and Will Kirby in 4th.  In the women’s 3200, Ellowyn Pfeiffer won in 11:13, with Laney Teaford and Eliza Matt closely behind.  The men’s 5k saw Andrew Blonairz cruise a 16:06 first place and sprint finish with Ned Lauber in 17:16 and Ian Concannon.  Emily Shea was paced by several of her teammates and was victorious in the women’s 5k (18:24).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 1 – NESCAC Championships On a blustery, frigid afternoon the Purple Cows showed their gumption by running their best when it counted.  The women worked together early on, building up through the field to finish with a flurry on the hilly, Middlebury 6k course.  Emma Zehner who was 58th at NESCACs last year, led the way with a (22:37) 4th place finish.  Lacey Serletti and Victoria Kingham, NESCAC Rookie of the Year, powered through in 8th (22:51) and 9th (22:52).  Hannah Cole ran her best race of the season to finish 12th in 23:02.  Freshmen Emily Sundquist (14th), Anna Harleen (15th) and Rebecca Delacruz-Gunderson (21st) ran stellar debut NESCAC Championships, while seniors Talia Calnek-Sugin (18th), Anna Spiers (24th), Amelia Ortiz (48th) capped their NESCAC XC Championship run in marvelous fashion.   As a team, they combined to finish a close second to Middlebury – 38 to 47 points.

For the Williams men, the tough weather, the tough course and the tough competition were not tough enough.  Colin Cotton blistered the 8k course in 24:56, winning his first individual NESCAC Cross Country Championship crown, after finishing second last year.  Bijan Mazerehi was again a solid front runner, finishing a second behind second place in 25:13.  Then the two guys who have been improving the most, Aldis Inde and Ben Decker (NESCAC Rookie of the Year) stepped up again to finish 4th and 11th.  Cole Townsend (20th) and Daniel Siegel (23rd) ran gutsy races to close the backdoor and solidify a repeat NESCAC Championship, outscoring second place Colby 39 to 76.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 28 – Mt. Greylock Course Practice Typically, the Ephs run their hardest workout on Tuesday.  Today’s workout was 1.5 miles x 2 at tempo effort, 1 mile repeats (1 or 2) at 5k effort, and then a long surge up our famous hill.  Utilizing the grass fields, a grass track, and wood-chip trails, the runners challenged and supported each other before sharing a spectacular sunset.

October 25 – Plansky Invitational Alums came from all over the country (and many parents because of Parents Weekend) to reunite and join the current team for a 5k romp around the home course.  Thirty-four alums raced with the Purple Cows, as well as five other small colleges.

Kathryn McNaughton had a great run to win the women’s race in 20:01 with Emily Shea (3rd), Eliza Matt (4th), and Elowyn Pfeiffer (5th) less than 26 seconds back.  Laura Stamp (11th), Laney Teaford (12th), and Nina Pande (13th) grouped up to finish between 21:18 and 21:23.

The men’s race saw super-alums Connor Kamm (’10) and Brandon Abasolo (’13) finish 1st and 2nd in 16:22 and 16:45.  Luke Hinz ran strongly to lead Williams with his fifth place  effort (16:55).  Andrew Bloniarz (7th), Alex Kilman (15th), Michael Byrns (16th) and Hiroshi Kirby (24th) were all top-25 finishers for the Ephs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 22 – Practices The cross country season has been rolling along.  Check out Where We Run on this site for our scenic training venues.  However, we not only run, we also do yoga, drills, core, visualization, weight training, pool running/swimming, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 18 – Little Three Championship Wesleyan, Amherst and Williams met in the Purple Valley on a cool, overcast afternoon to contest their long running (the pun is for Pete) rivalry.  The Men’s Little Three Cross Country Championship was first held in 1924 and Williams has won 57 titles since,  with Wesleyan winning 19 times, and Amherst winning 9 times.  The Women’s first Little Three Championship was held in 1976 and Williams has won 28 times since, with Wesleyan winning 6 times and Amherst 5 times. This year, the Ephs were challenged but ran their home course brilliantly to claim victories in dramatic fashion.

In the men’s 8k race, Williams front pack laid off the hot early pace to steadily build over the hilly course.  Colin Cotton led the way in 1st place (25:48).  Bijan Mazeheri came through just 7 seconds back in 2nd.  Finishing in identical times, Aldis Inde out-leaned an Amherst Lord Jeff to finish 3rd (26:01).  Aldis not just stepped up among the team ranks, he ran 1 minute 33 seconds faster than at the Purple Valley Invite run on the same course three weeks ago.

Ben Decker (6th), Cole Townsend (7th), Noah Williams (13th), and Daniel Siegel (15) filled out the team’s top seven to capture the team title for the 27th year in a row.  Beyond the top seven, there were several other outstanding performances, such as Kyle Kistinger and Matt Tarduno’s 1:36 and 1:04 improvement over the course run three weeks ago.

In the women’s 5k race, the women demonstrated remarkable depth, placing 22 runners in the top 29 finishers.  At the front, Anna Harleen soared down the last hill and straightaway to pull away from the competition in 18:53.  Emily Sundquist (3rd), Emma Zehner (5th), Lacy Serletti (6th), Victoria Kingham (7th), Hannah Cole (9th), and Rebecca Delacruz-Gunderson (10th) were all top-ten runners and instrumental in the women’s team claiming their seventh consecutive Little Three Championship.

Biggest improvements over the 5k course run three weeks ago for the women were by Samantha Avila (55 seconds), Megan Steele (1:22), and Gemma Porras (1:48).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 13 – Community Service The Ephs used an afternoon of their reading period to lend a helping hand to the community.  Groups split up for roadside cleanup at Green River Road, farm work at Peace Valley Farm, and invasive species eradication at Field Farm Trusties of Reservation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 11 – Westfield Invitational The Williams Cross Country team continued to impress with PRs and championships at nearby Westfield State.  The squad that ran at the Paul Short Invite the previous week ran a workout and those that didn’t race at Paul Short seized the opportunity to shine at the Westfield Invite.

In a field of 424 runners, Emily Sundquist brought home gold with a big kick in 18:14 in the 5k race.  Talia Calnek-Calnek-Sugin was right behind in second with 18:20.  Freshmen tandem Elowyn Pfeiffer and Eliza Matt powered to the finish within two seconds of each other in 18:50 and 18:52.  Nina Pande, Kathryn McNaughton, Emily Shea ran great to contribute to the women’s team victory over 43 other teams.

The men also stepped up, with Cole Townsend sprinting away from the pack to win the 8k in 25:49.  Noah Williams ran steady as always, finishing in 5th place.  Matt Tarduno and Andrew Bloniarz ran together to record huge PRs.  Freshman Michael Byrns ran a solid first 8k and Hiroshi Kirby pushed Will Kirby to a PR 27:21.  As a team, the men were second and ahead of 36 other teams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 4 – Paul Short Invitational The Ephs had a historic run at a historic meet.  Among the fields in the 41st annual competition at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, Williams faced several Division I, II, III and Canadian top-ranked teams such as Villanova, Georgetown, Adams State, Iona, Yale, Johns Hopkins and Guelph.

The course was a bit wet but not muddy and with cooler temps, flat land, and strong competition, the Ephs recorded several fast times and PRs.  For instance, Kyle Kistinger improved his best 8k from 27:19 to 26:02 and Emma Zehner improved her best 6k from 22:57 to 21:34.

Emma led the women charges with Anna Harleen, Lacey Serletti, Victoria Kingham and Michelle Buncke less than 42 seconds back – a solid scoring top-five spread.

On the men’s side, Colin Cotton set an all-time Williams 8k best time, blazing a 24:10. Colin placed 14th out of 358 runners in the Gold race, and his time was faster than all of the 341 runners in the Brown race, the 225 runners in the White race, and 463 runners in the Open race.

Bijan Mazaheri was not far behind Colin in 24:29, and Ben Decker, Aldis Inde and Todd Ford were within ten seconds of each other to round out a formidable top five.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 27 – Purple Valley Classic Hosting the first of four meets at our Mt. Greylock HS course, the Ephs wowed the hundreds of fans, family members and classmates lining the route.

First on the agenda – dominating the women’s and men’s JV/frosh 5k races.  The women placed 7 in the top 8 runners!  Anna Harleen took the crown in 19:17 while pulling along super first years Emily Sundquist, Rebecca Delacruz-Gunderson, Stella Worters, Elowyn Pfeiffer and Eliza Matt.  Also, in that group was the triumphant return from injury of Captain Anna Spiers.

The men’s JV/frosh race shaped up in similar fashion, with six purple cows in the top 13.  Ben Decker won his first collegiate race in 16:30 and was followed by hard-charging Liam Simpson, Griffin Colaizzi, Alex Kilman, Andrew Bloniarz and Michael Byrns.

Shortly after high-noon, on a cloudless 80 degree day, the men’s varsity squad towed the line along with the other 20 teams, including 5 that are top 30 nationally ranked, looking to preview our 8k Regional Championship course and compete against many of New England’s best.

Colin Cotton put on another racing clinic, running relaxed as the race developed and breaking the lead pack open after 5k.  He finished well within himself in second place (25:45).  Bijan Mazaheri ran as smooth as silk throughout finishing in third, followed by Cole Townsend and Noah Williams.  Captain Andrew Beaudoin stepped it up from the previous meet where he was 12th man on the team to finish as the final scoring fifth man.

The grand finale was the women’s varsity 6k.  The Ephs ran like gazelles over the hilly course of forested trails and grass fields in the Berkshire Mountain Valley.  Lacey Serletti demonstrated her aerobic power and strong will, crossing the line in 5th place (22:47).  Emma Zehner was next in 13th (earning a bright yellow top 20 finisher’s t-shirt) with Talia Calnek-Sugin, Michelle Buncke, Eirann Cohen, Maggie Peard, and Hannah Cole rounding out the top seven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 23 – Practices  The Purple Cows have been progressing as athletes and coming together as a team through daily trials of miles, running Sunday long runs on beautiful and challenging dirt road and trails like at Mt. Hope and Pownal, intervals on flatter dirt roads like at Oblong Road and Brookman Road and on grass at our home cross country course and Cole field, threshold runs like the annual 7.6 mile grind up Mt. Greylock, and recovery runs on favorite trails like Hopkins Forest and Stone Hill.

September 13, 2014 –  Saratoga XC Invite Williams XC had a fine and fun opener on the famed Saratoga Spa course, in a setting of 19th century buildings replete with columns and mineral springs. Our teams ran very well, especially considering it being our first race, and following a challenging week of big workout, some hills, long run, and new weights program. We are delighted with the team spirit, pack running, leadership, and the injection of fine talent and enthusiasm from the First Year class!
For leading the Eph rush to the finish line of the 5k course in 17:37, Emma Zehner (4th place) earned NESCAC and ECAC New England runner of the week.  Victoria Kingham and Lacey Serletti were right on Emma’s heels finishing 6th and 7th.  Another strong pack of Anna Harleen, Emily Sundquist and Talia Calnek-Sugin all finished in the top 15 to earn big pies.  Colin Cotton (1st place) led the men’s team and also garnered recognition as the National NCAA Division III runner of the week.  Cotton won by the 6k course by 12 seconds in 18:46, all gained in the last mile as he smoothly pulled away to capture his pie prize.  Bijan Mazaheri passed 3 top runners in final mile to capture 3rd (and another pie!).  While only 8 seconds back of Bijan, Cole Townsend took 13th and pied as well.  A ferocious pack of 5 finished within 4 seconds of each other to finish in 17th to 22nd place.